Awestruck
by meltina
Summary: Tifa's college roommate ends up being someone she doesn't expect. AU. Ficathon entry.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or its characters.

**Comments**: Hello, and thanks for showing interest in the first FFVII fic I've put up on this site (in spite of following the fandom since the game was first released way back when). This is a response to a challenge on the VincentxTifa forum here. Actually, it was for a ficathon and I was given --- well, just read it and find out. This is for _Piaugerieque Cattibreovocon_.

- - -

The all-terrain SUV pulled up along the security checkpoint and, after given clearance, proceeded further into the property.

Tifa Lockhart was awestruck.

No matter how many times she'd visited the campus in the past, Shinra University would always seem to get bigger every time.

Except this time, it was more or less a semi-permanent visit. She had to stress the 'semi' of it all to ease the nerves of the middle-aged man sitting behind the wheel. When she first broke the news to him, that she had been accepted by the university and was planning to attend, he nearly blubbered, self-convinced that his niece, his dear niece Tifa who grew up before his very eyes, his only family in the world, was never going to return to their home in Nibelheim. Ever.

It took a lot of compromising and explaining and conferences with the administrations department before Zangan conceded. The bird had to leave the nest some day. And today was that day and he, ever the susceptible uncle, was giving her a ride to campus and was going to help her move in.

He was still a little worried about her, though. "Are you sure you have everything?" he asked, for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

"Yes."

"Copies of your birth certificate, immunization charts, health insurance information – all that?"

"Double copies, even."

"How about your birth control?"

"Uncle Zangan!"

The man remained calm in spite of the outburst. "I'm just making sure you're prepared… Not saying that you're going to be doing that sort of thing nor am I giving you the go-'head, but you don't know how these college boys can be. Believe me, I know. I used to be one."

Tifa stared blankly at his profile. "You went to community college, Uncle Zangan."

"Same thing, in the end. Just a different kind of degree."

"I'll be fine. Really."

Leaving the discussion at that, Tifa turned her gaze to the passing scenery of the university grounds. Already, she could see prospective students meandering around the campus. Those that already knew each other, perhaps dorm-mates or friends from secondary school reunited, were formed into crowds that grew as more late arrivals came into the scene.

Tifa was not 'privileged' like those particular students were. Not only was her hometown of Nibelheim half the size of the campus itself in terms of both population and actual area, it was a sleepy town where very few actually left and most had their destinies laid out since birth. None of her friends from back home were going to attend Shinra, opting to instead work in the local family businesses, attend a smaller and local vocational school, or join the military.

Tifa only hoped that she'd made the right decision in leaving, rather than working at the local hostelry for the rest of her life.

Zangan maneuvered the SUV into a parking spot in front of a building that was bigger than all but one of the buildings in Nibelheim. Tifa had to crane her neck upwards to read the engraved text above the main doors. Shiva Hall.

"Is this it?" Zangan asked her as they both exited the vehicle.

Tifa looked down at the stack of stapled papers held in her hands. "Yes. I'm in Shiva Hall, according to the paperwork they sent me," she uttered as she skimmed the first sheets. "Apparently, I have to go in and check in with the administration there and I'll get a room assigned to me. Then I can move in."

"Well, go on in and take your time. I'll be out here waiting."

-

"Next!"

Tifa walked up to the receptionist's desk and tried to seem oblivious to the woman's choice of being more preoccupied with filing her nails and cracking the gum in her mouth a little too loudly than focusing on her job at hand. Instead, she smiled slightly and proceeded: "Hi, I'm here to register to get a room…?"

"Obviously," the receptionist snorted. "Give me your paperwork and ID."

Her smile fading with a blink, Tifa handed the woman said items. As the woman looked through the stapled papers with one hand and typed speedily with the other, Tifa stood behind the separator and waited, unsure of what to do. She glanced to the clock above the door and saw that it was almost 3:30 pm. It was also Friday. No wonder the clerks were being so lax.

At least, she'd hoped that was why.

"Hey, Louise! Did I tell you that Jimmy's coming down from Kalm next week?"

Now the receptionist was holding a conversation with another clerk who'd been preparing what seemed to be a key card on the other side of the office. Tifa had to hand it to her: Louise's friend was quite the multi-tasker, even if she was about as professional as a slice of cheese.

"Oh yeah? What're you going to do once he gets here?" Louise asked.

"What do you think?"

"Oh, Carrie, you naughty girl! I hope you've stretched your body out enough this time. Try some yoga or pilates…"

_I cannot believe I'm listening to this… _

Louise came by the desk and without so much as a glance to Tifa, placed the key card on top of the desk. Her eyes were on Carrie. Carrie's eyes were alternating between Louise and someplace else – certainly not the papers she'd been stamping. Probably the clock. When she was done, she more or less threw the papers onto the desk alongside the key card and continued her conversation with Louise.

"So, I went down to Millicent's on Tuesday and got this cute negligee on sale, it has—" Carrie paused, realizing the younger brunette was still standing there, and didn't bother hiding her annoyance about it. She sneered at Tifa. "There. That's it. Do you need anything else?"

"Um, do I have a roommate…?"

"Every freshman does. Tough break. Anything else?"

Tifa shook her head.

"Bye."

As the two clerks went back to discussing lingerie and other things deemed inappropriate for the workplace, Tifa rolled her eyes and gathered her things and left the office, deciding never to return there until it became a matter of life or death.

Zangan was waiting for her outside the lobby, leaning against his ride. "Whoa," he said in an impressed tone. "Back so soon? That was quick."

"Yeah, well, let's just say the office ladies were really insistent on getting me in and out of there as soon as possible," Tifa mumbled. She shook her head, looking to her uncle with the same vigor she'd displayed prior to going into that office. "Let's start bringing the boxes upstairs. What do you say?"

"Sure." Zangan pressed a button on his key ring; in response, the vehicle's trunk opened on its own. In an effort to save time, space, money, and whatever else for the sake of practicality, Tifa had packed only the things she really needed into sturdy cardboard boxes that she could move on her own if necessary. She carried her essentials and toiletries in her oversized purse.

"Wait…what floor are you on?"

A quick glance to the key card. "Second. I'm in room two-two-seven."

With their combined effort, Tifa and Zangan managed to bring up everything to the second floor in one short trip. Standing outside of the room – her room – Tifa squealed with girlish delight at the sight of her nameplate, as well as that of her roommate's, on the side of the door.

**Room #227: T. Lockhart; V. Valentine.**

"I don't see what you're so excited about," Zangan said, gruffly. "You're not even inside of the room yet."

"It's a girl thing. You wouldn't understand!"

Tifa was relieved when the key card Carrie had given her worked when put to use. The door was nudged open with her foot and she poked her head in before moving fully inside, slowly. She announced her entry with the only thing she could think of: a simple, "Um… Hello?"

The room was very spacious, that was the first thing she'd noticed almost immediately; wall-to-wall carpeting, closets, a private bathroom and a kitchenette added to the apartment-like feel to it. It was equipped with the standard two beds, two nightstands, maple dressers and matching desks.

It was also empty.

"Oh, looks like my roommate went out…" Tifa pouted, slightly. She was looking very forward to meeting her but figured they'd do so sooner or later.

Behind her and totting boxes, Zangan came in and let out a wolf-whistle of approval at the room's interior. "At least she was kind enough to let you have the bed by the window. She seems kind of mellow and minimal."

"Why do you say that?"

"Just look at her arrangements. And her bed. You can learn a lot about a person by the way they make their bed."

Black and red bed sheets without a single crease or wrinkle in them. Her boxes were put away and the few books on the desk's shelf were arranged neatly by size. There was nothing else. Not even a picture frame or a stuffed animal. If Zangan's theory was anything to go by, then Tifa's roommate was indeed mellow and minimal.

"She seems neat and clean," Tifa concluded, almost hastily. "Definitely can't complain about that!"

Zangan shrugged and placed the last of the boxes into the closet nearest to Tifa's bed. "Did you want to unpack now?"

"Not really. I'll do it later when I have more free time and am less hungry." Tifa stretched her arms above her head. "Want to grab a bite to eat? Er, that is… After we find the food court on the ginormous campus map…"

"Actually," Zangan looked at his wristwatch, "I should get going… Traffic on the Junon-Costa Del Sol Expressway's going to keep me back at least two hours." He managed a half-laugh. "Gotta love Fridays."

"Oh. Right."

Tifa understood. The ride from Nibelheim had only slight traffic and it took them a little under five hours to make the trip. She couldn't keep him any longer, unless she wanted him to fall asleep at the wheel or something. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little crestfallen.

As planned, their good-byes weren't long nor were they hurried. Downstairs, they exchanged a lengthy and tight hug, barely any tears (although Tifa's russet eyes did become slightly misty) and a small vial of pepper spray (even if Zangan had personally trained Tifa in self-defense and martial arts, it was, "just for warning purposes before you cave a guy's head in with an axe kick.")

After a promise to call at least three times a week and to e-mail as often as possible once he figured out how, Zangan drove off, leaving Tifa behind on her own, for the first time in her life.

-

Tifa treated herself to a large meal at the food court, eating purposefully slow in the hopes that someone, anyone, would come join her just so she could have something memorable to say about her first day in college to her grandkids. No one did. She gave up when it seemed the few students that were in the court were more interested in heading out to the parties or into the city of Midgar for some nighttime fun and mischief. She wasn't in the mood to do such things, however.

Boxing up what food she didn't eat to give to her roommate as an ice-breaker, Tifa decided to head back to her room to at least familiarize herself with her roommate before venturing out on an attempt to meet other people. She had all weekend for that and quite frankly, was too exhausted for it at the moment. Even trekking up the stairs to the second level of the complex was exhausting for her.

The light shone beneath the door to Room 227. Her roommate was there! Tifa smiled and allowed herself into the room, prepared to take her first hot shower here, fix up her bed and curl in it and talk with her roommate about things like grocery lists and study hours and where all the hot guys on campus were located.

Tifa was awestruck. There was a hot guy already in her room.

Stark naked.

Granted, he was just about to dry himself off with a towel and had used said towel to cover himself for modesty's sake (even if Tifa had seen everything by then).

He was still stark naked.

Like a deer caught in the headlights – except this particular deer stood around six feet tall, had long jet black hair and a body that was lean and defined – he was frozen in place, just as awestruck as Tifa was, perhaps even more. An eternity went by before he shattered the silence with a voice so velvety, it made Tifa shiver. "…Hello…"

-

It was the first hour of a three day shift of dorm-hall monitoring for one Miu Burberry, who had been looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

No such luck.

No sooner than that blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the halls, a dark-haired girl, most likely the source, burst into the monitor's office like a bat out of hell.

"There's a naked guy in my room!"

-- finis? ---

Even after trimming so much fat out of this, I still don't know what to think of this, other than absolute pride because it's the first fic I've managed to shell out in who knows how many months. I'm also kinda worried that I messed something up, severely. I don't know. See, I never went to university. I went to high school, took some community college courses that ended up being way less difficult than my high school equivalent courses, then went into the military for four years, and since 2004 I've been trying to become a Jane of All Trades. Anyway, enough of all that! I'm thinking of leaving it here but who knows. Nothing's ever written in stone. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. All feedback and concrit highly appreciated!


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